The Illinois Department of Natural Resources reports that hunters harvested a preliminary total of 72,111 deer during the opening weekend of the firearm season last Friday through Sunday. That's 56 hundred more deer killed than in 2011.
IDNR official Paul Shelton said that hunters in the state had near perfect conditions during the 1st firearm weekend. There were cool temperatures, no wind, and the crops were out of the fields.
796 deer were harvested in Ogle county compared to 740 last year. Lee County also saw an increase of 56 deer and Dekalb County was up by 12 killings.
Pike County once again had the most deer harvested at 21 hundred.
The 2nd portion of the firearm season will take place between November 29th and December 2nd.
